Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
The Kherson Oblast sign is seen on Nov. 13, 2022 after Russia's retreat from Kherson. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian attacks have killed one man and injured seven people, including two children, over the past day in Kherson Oblast, the local authorities reported on Jan. 7.
Ukrainian forces liberated the part of Kherson Oblast that lies on the west bank of the Dnipro River in November 2022. The region comes under daily Russian attacks from Russian forces on the east bank.
A 62-year-old man was injured following a Russian attack on the center of Kherson on the morning of Jan. 7. He died shortly afterward in the hospital, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported.
Two other civilians were injured in the attack, according to the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.
Among reports of five injuries on Jan. 6, the regional authorities reported that two 9-year-old twin boys had been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds after Russian forces hit the settlement of Darivka to the east of Kherson.
In total, Russian forces fired 382 times at the region over the past day and launched 89 attacks, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. The city of Kherson was fired at 24 times.
Russia used drones, tanks, aircraft, mortars, and artillery to attack the region. Targeting civilians violates the Geneva Conventions and constitutes a war crime.
Alexander Khrebet
